Water losses to the earth due to seepage have long been experienced. For example, irrigation ditches, feeder canals and drainage ditches lose great quantities of water to the ground before the water is used or before it reaches its point of application. Also great quantities of water are lost due to seepage in farm ponds.
It is a known fact that water or moisture will penetrate and be absorbed by a permeable surface. More specifically, water tends to penetrate the ground upon contact. This loss of water is experienced to a great extent in arid climates, for example the western and southwestern portions of the United States, where irrigation is a requirement for the growing and maintaining of any vegetable or plant life.
It would be desirable to provide a method of seepage control by which the amount of water lost through a permeable surface, i.e., the earth, could be minimized. Such a method would provide an improved method for transportation of water from both a cost and waste standpoint.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,832,229 discloses a method for seepage control using latex polymer formulations.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,986,365 discloses a method for sealing soil using water-soluble polymers and bentonite.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,669,920 discloses soil sealing compositions and methods comprising copolymers of allylsulfonic acid monomers and blends of acrylic acid and acrylamide.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,520,140 discloses a soil sealing method comprising sodium acrylate and acrylamide with a small amount of a multifunctional cross-linking agent.
US2004/0097601 discloses clay-containing mixtures or blends further comprising partially water-soluble polymers useful as moisture resistant gels.
WO 2004/085587 discloses a polymeric agent useful as a cleaning composition for flocculating soil.
A. M. Falatah et al in Arid Soil Research Rehab., 1999, 13, 61-73 describe inhibition of water infiltration in sandy soils with water-soluble polymers.
R. D. Lentz et al in J. Soil Water Conservat. (Ankeny), 2003, 58(5), 290-300 describes the inhibition of water infiltration with polyacrylamide and surfactants.
French Pat. No. 2,647,463 discloses the use of flocculating polyacrylamide polymers as soil sealants to suppress water leakage.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,397,519 discloses a polymer composition comprising polyacrylamide polymers and calcium compounds useful for soil treatment.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,867,330 discloses brines containing water-soluble anionic vinyl addition polymers and water-soluble cationic polymers useful for secondary recovery of petroleum and seepage control in irrigation ditches and feeder canals.
A. M. Helalia et al in Soil Sci. Soc. America J., 1988, 52(1), 243-246 describe the use of polyacrylamide compositions as soil flocculation aides.
D. L. Bjorneberg et al in J. Soil Water Conservat. (Ankeny), 2002, 57(6), 524-529 describe the use of polyacrylamide compositions for the reduction of irrigation-induced soil erosion.
German Pat. No. 1,717,203 discloses the use of cross-linked polyacrylates to seal the soil underlayer to reduce water seepage.
It is now been discovered that a method may be affected for the control of water seepage into the soil by the application of a novel aqueous soil treatment composition comprising anionic copolymers and a surfactant. This method provides seepage control for irrigation ditches, drainage ditches, farm ponds, feeder canals, golf course water features, park ponds and lakes, lagoons, and the like.